Inori
by MistyWing
Summary: Thematic drabbles that are based after Juliet's death. Life, loyalty, heroism, and love told in the voices of the Capulet allies.
1. Willy

_Author Note: I heard "Inori" sung by Lena Park by accident, stumbling across it when I was looking for "You Raise me Up," an orchestrated version. It was destined that I would find out about Romeo x Juliet through this accident. I like it when Park sings it in Japanese, but no one can beat Josh Groban when it comes to the vocals of the original English song written lyrics by Brendan Graham and composed by Rolf Lovland. It's a beautiful song, so that's why I titled this collection "Inori" coming from the line in the song that goes "You raise me up… to more than I can be", and "Inori wa toki o koeru-prayers surpass time." Depending on the reviews I get with this and other snippets, I might continue writing more RxJ. And since I am totally enthralled by the similar themes in Shakespeare's work to this anime for the time being, I'm very determined to write about it. _

_Disclaimer: Here, I disclaim any rights to Romeo x Juliet, which is also a shadow of the great William Shakespeare's play of two star crossed lovers, __**Romeo and Juliet**_

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**  
**By: MistyWing Word Count: 292 Theme: Love as Defined Character POV: Willy (William)**

Love; you asked me what it meant. "I'll give you the clear cut definition, Odin," I said.

Love would be the profound feeling of passion that comes straight from the soul and spreads through every fiber in the being until it transfers to the recipient.

You stood in your chair and looked at me with your bright, young eyes. You were a fearless maiden. You were downright righteous and understood nothing, but love.

Love traverses time. The mind does not decide for us if we love or not. Love is for the heart to work out.

You and I, at the time, did not know that you were asking a rhetorical question. Perhaps, we knew, but we wish we didn't. Fate dealt a heavy blow upon your love, but you, brave maiden, pursued your love nonetheless.

You redefine it for me, now, Odin. Redefine it for me, Juliet. Because as I sit here writing my song about your tragedy, I cannot say that "Love would be the profound feeling of passion that comes straight from the soul and spreads through every fiber in the being until it transfers to the recipient. Love traverses time. The mind does not decide for us if we love or not. Love is for the heart to work out." Have I been wrong, two-thirds wrong, half wrong? You answer my question, now.

I sit here because of you. I am a famous playwright because of you. And I learned that my dreams come true because of you.

My words are about your family and your lover's family. My words are about your love that ends in tragedy.

I sing of your painful love. I sing, even as you died holding your lover, for the joy of love.


	2. Tybalt

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**  
**By: MistyWing, Word Count: 622, Theme: Hearts of One Kind, Character POV: Tybalt**

Before I met you I had assumed that you were someone like me. I had hoped that when I joined the Juliet Fiammatta Asu de Capulet we would be comrades for life since we both shared the common hatred for the name that equaled suffering. I dreamt we would avenge the Capulets and undo Laertes Montague for all that he had done to tear our family apart. I was prepared to take out as many Montagues as I possibly could to wipe out the name that sickened me more than poison.

I was wrong, though.

You could never be like me because you were a young woman, who believed in justice without bloodshed. You were a warrior, who believed in redemption and honor. From the start you chose a path different than mine.

When I gazed at you sobbing into your dainty hands after I killed the traitor, I knew I had to hold you. You cried as I had when my father killed my mother. I did not want you to succumb to the darkness that had already taken me. I became a killer without feelings when no one came to embrace me. Even though I was certain that my stiff, unpracticed arms did not fit around you the way my brother's had, I still provided an anchor to fix you from the darkness that had already consumed me.

We could never have been comrades. Juliet, you were too softhearted to end the life that stained too many souls to count. Mine heart was hardened and burdened by the hatred and vengeance I had piled up over dark, lonely years. We were too different, so I left you alone.

By chance we found each other again at the mansion. It was, then, that I built up the spirit to tell you my story, my truth, and my hate that I swore would never die.

"You, Juliet! How can you forget to hate the man, who led the mutiny against your family?! How can you forgive him, knowing that he murdered your parents and siblings?!" I screamed at you.

You looked at me with those bright, warm eyes, our faces only mere inches apart and spoke in the gentlest tones. "Because I love that man's son, Romeo Montague."

I released you. I released you from my rage and let you go because I wanted your happiness more than anything. You were the _me_ that I could never imagine being. You were the _me_ that I wish I could have been before your sacrifice.

In the battle against Ophelia, I thought I could save you by requesting Romeo's help. I thought that he possessed the words to sway you.

How I was wrong.

I watched you fight him, vying against your golden heart and defying your principles just to protect him. You did not think for a minute that he valued your life more than his.

I saw you two, dead as the both of you were, glimpsing eternity together. I saw a companionship there, not just as lovers, but as comrades in the two of you.

As I rise and soar into the stratus on my Ryuba, I think of you and my brother. I wondered why you and he made the ultimate sacrifice. I wondered again and again until I came up with an answer…

It was because you endorsed the light of shredded hope

—as he had.

It was because you have always been enflamed in the blaze of strong belief that there was always some good, even the tiniest bit, in everything

—as he had.

Because of you, I can no longer hate the name Montague—a name belonging to my brother, Romeo—whose heart had always been yours.

(AN: "_Whose heart had always been yours" refers to Romeo's heart being like hers and belonging to her. Two meanings to that last line.)_


	3. Francisco

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**  
**By: MistyWing, Word Count: 333, Theme: Love Follows Loyalty, Character POV: Francisco**

I am forever loyal to the Capulets and forever loyal to you.

One thing I regret not telling you was this: though my mind denies it, my heart tells it, that I will never be more in love with another woman. Oh, Juliet, fair, graceful, valiant, temperate Juliet, your life was only a bud before it was cut short off its stem.

I vouch the love between Juliet and Romeo, yet I cannot deny never loving wholly Juliet.

You laughed at me when I was my philandering self. You did not know how I stomped my foot at the fact that I never caught your eye the way I caught the eye of many other maidens—none of them as fair as you. None of them could be compared to you.

All those fourteen years that I had watched you grow were the best years to bear witness. Juliet, you never once looked my way. Your eyes went from dresses, swords, townsfolk, irises, and then to Romeo.

The only time I stole those love filled eyes, even for a moment, were in those final seconds of your life. I wondered if you knew how you looked to me.

You cradled your lover to your heart and still never once glanced at me, but I saw what I had wished to see.

Let me attempt to describe the indescribable to you.

Your eyes, in those final moments, stole my breath away. If there was enough love to fill the world they were in those eyes.

Your hands caressed a stranger's face, which I wished was mine. The heart that belonged to him in life or death I had wished to be mine. Anyone who looked upon the injustice done to you would have ached as I had.

I just wanted you to know, I was always behind you in every decision you made; even your final wish I revere.

I send you this message with my farewell.

My loyalty to you, Juliet, is always.


	4. Conrad

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**  
**By: MistyWing, Word Count: 402, Theme: Beginnings and Ends, Character POV: Conrad**

It did not matter who you were; Red Whirlwind, Odin, Juliet, Princess, Capulet. You never cared about the name or the title. You only cared about the poor, the needy, and the weak.

"Odin, hold it right there! I'm not done speaking to you!" I recall yelling every time I encountered you in the hall.

You grinned boyishly at me and slipped out of sight. How I wished you weren't born who you were, so that I could see that grin grace your saddened visage as always. Hard times and the sense of duties crushed you and pulled that charming face of yours into passing frowns that did not suit you.

You were foolish when you were your alter-ego, Red Whirlwind, hunted down by the Carabanieri. You thought it was a game, getting away and sporting the relish of saving another family. I thought it was a death wish and told you so.

You were wild as the lad Odin, dashing along the sides of the streets with my grandson and acting the part of a second hooligan in the household. How you made them laugh—I frowned upon your tactics, though.

You were daring as Juliet. You moved about the place, unconsciously owning the ground you walked on. You were always trying to prove something of yourself just like the rest of the common women out there. This I approved of.

Being a Capulet and Princess you tried your best in filling your father's shoes. You were never lacking in devotion. You fought for the Capulet cause. I must admit, you were steadily hesitant at first, but the resolve to overpower was, in essence, your undoing.

As I had informed you there would be an end to all beginnings and a beginning to all ends. This was the end and the beginning for you, Juliet.

I had never witnessed a situation so awry.

A flashback of when you were two-years-old crept up my tear-blurred vision. As a babe, you were so scared of the end. You clung to my hand with a tiny grasp.

I never would have believed the day would come in which your hand outgrew my grip and you would willingly let go. My hands trembled on the reigns, but I still smiled as I watch you fall away from me. After all, this was what you wanted:

Wane the life of the Capulet-Montague and born a legend.


	5. Antonio

_Author's note: I do plan on writing one on Cordelia's perspective. She's the only female in the show that played an important role as the ONLY female Capulet ally. However, I'm going to have to sleep on the idea and hopefully come up with something by no definite date [who knows how long the thought processing takes. Today, Antonio came to mind. Here's the POV of the ONLY boy in the show. _

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**

**By: MistyWing**

**Word Count: 344**

**Theme: To be a Man**

**Character POV: Antonio**

It would take me years on top of years to forget you were no longer here. Had you known that?

You left this world without a farewell. How was I to cope with the loss of a friend and a sister? You were my one true friend. You were as close to a sister I would ever have.

It was an empty world when Red Whirlwind disappeared. It was a cold world now that Juliet was gone. I swore I would remember only the high times with my sister; when we sprinted over the streets arm and arm; when we talked under the covers in the dark; when we defied my grandfather as one; when we made fun of Willy and his silly fantasies together; those were the memories I would cherish.

I went to bed at night terribly afraid after your passing. My fear was of the memories not being enough to sustain you. Every night I went to bed worrying over the probability of me forgetting you the next day if I so much as napped. I reminded myself I was still a boy, so the day you left me--

I had not turned a man yet. Therefore, you had not known the man I would become.

All my life, even though you were the woman in the duo, I felt that you had been the bigger, the stronger, and the better man. I envied you and felt even the tiniest bit of resentment, as any other little brother would, toward his sister, for you collected more attention around you than even a queen could. My own grandfather lavished esteem upon you, dismissing me as second rate at times. You could see why that bit of resentment existed even as the tiniest bit of my heart.

You fed just a spoonful more of that same bitter resentment to my heart when you resigned. It wasn't fair the way you went without turning to me like you normally did. I never had the chance to show you...

The man I became over night.


	6. Cordelia

_AN from M. Wing: It took me a long time because I forgot all about this particular project of mine. I only picked up where I left off because I re-watched the first half of the series during my Spring Break. By the way, my Spring Break was boring because I stayed home and moped around all week long. I wasn't planning on going anywhere with all the drama going on in my reality. Reality sucks. That's all. _

_Aside from writing in Cordelia's POV, I also wrote a little drabble in Curio's voice, which i hope to post shortly after this. _

_In, my opinion, Cordelia's segment is a bit unorganized. I attempted to clarify what she meant in the beginning with the concluding paragraph. I probably can do better, but it's been really hard for me to jump out of my stream of consciousness. It's a new writing style of mine that often leads to confusion. But, I promise you I didn't rush this piece. You'd be surprised to know how long I spent on each paragraph even though the ideas just strung along. I digress and I'll leave it at that.  
_

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**

**By: MistyWing**

**Word Count: 397 **

**Theme: True Happiness **

**Character POV: Cordelia**

My dearest Juliet, I am stunned by my mixed feelings. You once stirred the hearts of Neo Verona with your promise. Now, you charm the hearts of the townspeople through Sir William's stories and you charm my heart through the beautiful memories I treasure most. I cannot face the fact that I can no longer brush that beautiful head of yours. I miss the glossy red tresses that fell across your back. I cannot stand it that I will not ever share the tears that fall as freely as the old Neo Verona. Above all I cannot resolve this ache that stays because of the uncertainty that lingers here. I am unsure of whether or not you have found your happiness.

Remember how we used to dream when we were children? You wanted to be a bride and I wanted to be your bridesmaid. Fate was cruel to you, so our positions switched in reality. You are so kind, so graceful, and so beautiful in my eyes and deserved as much happiness as you have given me. Juliet has given me love. Juliet has given me laughter. Juliet has given me hope. Juliet has given me Benvolio. And Juliet has given me Juliet.

You spoke of your hope for the happiness of the people of Neo Verona and how you are happiest when you know that we are happiest. Your selflessness screened you from how I felt; your happiness will be my happiness as we have always shared with each other. Why should a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul like yours suffer the pain of sinned men? I see no justice in Neo Verona in that sense. Why should the rest of us greedily hold this happiness you have forfeited to us? I see no justice in the result of your death.

I was selfish to have never seen your past pains as clearly as I do now. I wish to share your pain, but as I hold Benvolio and mine little Juliet, I am guilty for feeling this stable happiness. If we are sharing pain can we not share our happiness as well? Wherever you are, somehow I am partial to your happiness and may you be partial to mine. I smile only through knowing you have Romeo with you. This must be our happiness and our pain we share beyond life and beyond the grave.


	7. Curio

_AN: Hi! This is the last short segment I think; one from Curio. Curio and Francisco are two of the Capulet allies I favor. I'm a sucker for unrequited love stories. I add Curio's segment because I didn't want to leave out an important character. I had to watch the show a second time to see how significant he was to the cause of peace and prosperity in Neo Verona. Actually the scene that readily struck and stuck to me was the scene in the final episode, where we see him working on the streets. That touched me in a strange way and gave me this idea about how he felt about Romeo. I pictured he had this hate-love idea of Juliet's lover. Tell me if it's confusing. It's not supposed to be easy to get the first go around. Thank you for reading! _

**Inori: 100 Thematic Drabbles**

**By: MistyWing**

**Word Count: 500 **

**Theme: Scar**

**Character POV: Curio**

The scar on my right eye reflects the scar in my heart. These scars are connected in the way that our destinies have always been connected. We do not see the invisible strands of connectivity, but I feel it. Your passing has made the connection no less taut, so I feel your unwavering conductance. You spur me to keep living and to keep working. I continue to rebuild Neo Verona as you have wished.

The sound of your name works like a prick to the scar and the heart bleeds again. This is a sign that shows my weakness. This embarrassing side of me is what I wish to show you in front of Romeo because I love you. I love you more than Romeo loves you. I'm as certain of this as I am certain of everything else I do.

You are my weakness and you are my strength. You don't know how many times you have helped me beat my own cowardice and face my fears. You don't know how many times you have made me want to drop to my knees and kiss your feet. That's a kind of love I'm sure Romeo can never show you.

Neo Verona will heal because of your sacrifice. However, there are some things that will not heal. Scars never heal. They stay forever as a reminder of our mistakes and our forbidden wishes. Things change or shift; I grow weary with unencumbered qualms. I know you love Romeo, but I will keep regretting the day I didn't punch his face in front of you at the dry village. I know you love Romeo, but I will keep beating myself up for never telling you that noblemen are foul and strong men like me are keepers. I know you love Romeo, but I wish I warned you how incompatible and imperfect the two of you are as a pair. I think it most important that you know with all your imperfections and incompatibility the two of you are one unit.

The scar breaks once in awhile to let out some black blood. I do know that I might have fallen out of love with you if you hadn't followed your own heart that takes you to Romeo. I know I would see you as weak and all those years protecting you wasted because you, in the end, did not make your decisions based on fair truth as you have politically made decisions on pure truth. I smile, remembering you donning the red hat and red cape and becoming the new red wind that blew in Neo Verona. For Romeo I did not expect you to don that attire, but I did expect determination. Determination is strength. You are flawless strength as the black blood drips. I am pleased, you did follow your heart and my time spent on you and my time spent pining over you has not been wasted. I love you for you have the courage to love Romeo.


End file.
